Mortal Kombat: between shadow and light
by shokanshiva
Summary: Raiden has saved Earthrealm. A pity that his sacrifice will cause him to do the exact opposite. In a new battle for the survival of the universe, greater good and honor are merely pretty masks, meant to hide the monster hidden inside and all warriors will have to answer themselves which monsters must be destroyed and which are just phantoms that feed on their fears...


**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE MORTAL KOMBAT CONTENT OR PRODUCT. BOTH BELONG TO ED BOON AND THE NETHEREALM STUDIOS. IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THOSE, I SUGGEST THAT YOU WATCH THE** **ORIGINAL FIRST. THIS FANFIC IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSE ONLY. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET US BEGIN.**

 _ **Mortal Kombat. In each of us there burns a soul of a warrior. In every generation a few are chosen to prove it. Centuries ago, in a time of darkness and fury, that fate befell one monk: the great Kung Lao, who had to defend our Earthrealm from the forces of Outworld. By fighting for his life, by fighting for his honor and by fighting for his realm. It was his burden that he had to carry. In a tournament called Mortal Kombat.**_

 _"Oh god, He has been repeating this for months since we literally kicked Shinnok's butt"_ thought Kung Jin while listening to Bo Rai Cho teaching them, or in Jin's words 'boring them shitless', about Earthrealm history. _"I mean, I totally get why Cassie should do it, since she oughtta learn whose job of getting his hands dirty she gonna take, but why me? I'm ME, the Shaolin with a capital S-"_

A marker pen hit the table Kung Jin nearly fell asleep on and made him jump straight up into standing.

"Kung Jin" said Bo Rai Cho blood-chillingly with a wide smile "what was the last thing I said?"

"Thaaat…. The great Kung Lao had a great responsibility to carry!" said Kung Jin trying to hide the fact he almost fell asleep.

"Right answer" said Bo Rai Cho and Kung Jin let a soundless whisper of relief.

"To the wrong Question" both their smiles fading. "I just told you who were the fellow warriors of the great Kung lao. Would you like to repeat their names?"

"Ummm…" Kung Jin looked desperately to Cassie, Takeda and Jacqui but they all gave him the famous whisper of innocence.

"Maybe a yoga tree stance for the rest of the day will help clear your thoughts" said Bo Rai Cho coldly "and make think twice before falling asleep in my class".

The whole day?! That was just the tech book definition of unfair! Kung Jin couldn't believe this injustice. Without further stalling, he packed his things and went to do his punishment on the roof of the shaolin temple, grunting on his way outside.

Bo Rai Cho looked grimly in his other students. _"How did those kids manage to save Earthrealm from the most vicious god that ever existed? All they care about is fighting physical threats, but they do not even try to mentally assess them…"_

 _At the end of that day…._

"Well thanks a lot, Cage!"

"Not my fault that you're a lousy slacker!"

Kung Jin and Cassie have been fighting ever since his punishment was finished. Takeda and Jacqui were just like _"it doesn't end with those two"_.

"You sat straight up yo ass and let me take a bullet" yelled Kung Jin.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Tell you the answer and be screwed too? Cause lemme tell ya, I didn't bring my sun screen and Bikini today" said Cassie sarcastically.

"You didn't seem too sorry when I went out"

"Ohhhhh" she feigned sadness "you poor little thing, ya gonna cry?"

Just as Kung Jin was about to make a remark, someone appeared behind Cassie and scared her half to death when he exclaimed "HERE'S JOHNNY!"

"DAD!" yelled Cassie "I TOLD YOU LIKE A MILLION TIMES, DON'T DO IT!"

"Ok, Ok, just trying to lighten the mood" said Johnny smilingly "and now for real, Bo Rai Cho told me what happened. It's a bummer, but you two shouldn't fight over it, especially-" He cut Kung Jin short when he was about to continue his angry remark "when you are about to have an extra teammate".

Now that was interesting enough to make Cassie and Kung Jin stop fighting and even Takeda and Jacqui suddenly looked more excited than in the whole day.

"His name is Kalama Lonoehu" said Johnny "He was recently spotted by Sonya, she noticed that he has great fighting skills. Problem is that he is a bit of a vigilante".

"Mr. Cage, with all due respect" said Jacqui "why should we team up with a vigilante? He is most likely to do as he wished and jeopardize our missions".

"True, but he has very rare and high fighting abilities, and his father is ex-military. Trust me, Jacqui, he just needs the right group to fit in".

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Cassie "let's meet this prodigy".

"Anything better than Bo Rai Cho's history class" said Takeda and everybody laughed.

 _Meanwhile in Edenia…_

Kitana walked pass the people and listened to their cheers. At last, Shao Khan was dead and all could celebrate. Some shirtless kid chased his friend in argument over a toy, another shouted out loud to sell his fruits. Now Kitana saw a green character walking towards her, smiling.

"Be sure not to space out with all of these ass kissing" teased Jade.

"You do know that speaking like that to a queen will get you in the dungeon" teased Kitana back.

They took pleasure in observing their new liberated homeland. People threw flower petals and them.

"After all the hard fight that we put up against Shao Khan, it's almost too good to be real, this freedom".

"What are you talking about, Kitana?" asked Jade "none of this is real".

Kitana looked at Jade, amused. "You're just full of humor today, eh Jade?"

"Kitana, you need to start telling the difference between reality, and what happens only in your head".

Now Kitana was truly frightened. "J-Jade, this isn't funny anymore, Jade-"

Suddenly everything disappeared, and then turned to a dark room. Outside demons flew and roared at each other. The sky were dark red like dry blood. Kitana was in her bed, at her NetherRealm palace, where she ruled along the new emperor, Liu Kang. She touched her face, which were no longer smooth and shining, but hideous and fissured. She thought she would like this new position, the formidable empress of the NetherRealm, no longer a subordinate to other like Shao Khan, Quan Chi or Shinnok. Instead she found herself disgusted at her new subjects, so repulsive!

 _"This is Raiden's fault"_ thought Kitana " _he condemned me to this life. Whoever asked him to try and prevent Armageddon? These were just stupid visions of a god who just lost his sanity to a millennia-long war against threats to Earthrealm"._

She laughed bitterly. Insanity probably hasn't truly flare up until a few days ago when Raiden has shown up with the head of Shinnok at his bag, and then had the audacity to tell them that "that are fates worse than death".

What worse things could he befell upon them? Nothing is worse than being butchered by your own Mother! And then being reanimated by a maniac demonas a slave. And then immediately they were forced to watch 3 of them leaving this accursed existence while they stayed the freaks they are for 20 years.

"Dreaming again about past glories are you?" asked an obnoxious voice. Kitana was already used to Liu Kang entering their room without saying so much as hello.

"Better than spending the whole day outside quarrelling instead of being at the side of your empress-"

" **I'm securing hold over our new empire** " he emphasized angrily " **if you're not going to help me, than at least be humble and show gratitude! Thanks to me more demons flock to our side each and every day** ".

Kitana sneered at him. "The emperor of blabbering half-wits. They would sing songs about that for generations-" her head nearly did a 180° spin when his palm smacked her cheek. It didn't leave a mark, nor did make her scream in pain. She just looked at him, bored. "Are you done? Expecting me to beg like my old living self?".

Liu Kang has had enough. He left the room in anger. Neither of them contained any mutual compassion, love or even the ability to be hurt by the other. Such feeling were looked down by them. Conquest was the only thing that mattered to them. Revenge on civilization and the living…

 _Meanwhile in Outworld_

Many Groaned in the palace casualty wards. The battle against the Lin Kuei took its toll on the outworld warriors. Especially that hated cryomancer, Sub-Zero! Kotal Khan had to retreat shamefully back to his realm to preserve the forces he had left, but swore to Sub-Zero that this dishonor would be avenged. The grandmaster only sneered at him, unimpressed.

As Kotal Khan pondered on his throne, a cowboy approached him and bowed his head.

"Welcome Black. I trust that you bring me good news?"

"Indeed my emperor. Ferra has completed her transformation and became as powerful as Torr. A pity that he kicked the bucket. As for Reptile, he confirmed the existence of earthling raptors. As we speak, he enlists the raptors to your army, as they are grateful for the fair way you treated their brother all those years and loathe Raiden for all the pain he inflicted on them."

"Excellent" Kotal Khan smiled "our numbers may have dwindled, but as they say: 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'".

"Emperor, with your permission, I would-" but then Erron Black was cut short when a sudden flash of lightning hit the floor and scorched it. Raiden has appeared. But it was not good old Raiden. His outfit was more black, his skin revenant-like. His eyes were yellow and burning, and his hands… more clawed paws of prey beast than man hands. To his back was tied a large black bag, almost certainly a…

"Greetings, Kotal Khan" said Raiden coldly "I trust that your warriors receive the rest they so deserve".

Kotal khan became furious at once "they rest because your hounds attacked them without mercy, and spare me your false sympathy! Now tell me what you came here for!".

Raiden's eyes narrowed "whatever happened to courtly gestures?".

Erron Black looked amusingly in Raiden "dear thunder god! I almost didn't recognize you. Lost weight, a new haircut maybe?". Suddenly Raiden was very close to his face, a very perverse smile on his face…

"You're truly a humorous one, former earthling, but tell me" he lowered his voice to a threatening whisper "would like to **eat** your words, literally?"

"Leave him alone, devil!" yelled Kotal Khan "say what you will and then get lost!".

Raiden turned to look at him, still smiling in such a horrifying matter "just to tell you that I'm done being merciful. Until now I was satisfied with repelling you outworlders back to your home every time that you invaded, and that was it. Never once have I come after you for a Punitive expedition. Well things have changed. My patience for your disregard for earthrealm is exhausted. Attack earthrealm one more time at your own peril. Attack earthrealm one more time, and I'll butcher every man, woman and child of your realm. Attack earthrealm one more time, and the horrors I'll inflict will be unforgettable until the the end of times".

Kotal Khan rose from his throne, rage-struck " **HOW DARE YOU?! YOU THINK THAT MERE WORDS CAN INTIMIDATE ME?! IT WOULD TAKE FAR MORE THAN THAT!** "

Now Raiden's smile nearly swallowed his whole face as his voice was trembling with delight "you don't know how I **prayed** that you would say that. Otherwise bringing this" he pointed to his black bag "would be totally pointless".

Erron Black had just enough of Raiden "I think that it's time that you leave" and he emptied his whole barrel on Raiden's head, only to watch the bullets liquefy and Drifting to the floor from the contact with Raiden's electricity. Before he could do anything else, Black felt a touch on his neck and right after that, a shock, and he fell to the ground, twitching like a cockroach.

"I think it's time you learned to revere your gods" said Raiden, his upper teeth exposed. He then opened his body bag. Kotal khan leaped at him, but then stopped short when he saw what the body bag contained: the headless corpse of Shinnok. It twitched even worse than Black, almost as if it tried to find its own head.

"You are no god…" he whispered "you are a monster kids dream of in their worst nightmares. Stay away from me. Just… leave and never come back". Suddenly he felt a hot breath on his ear.

"You should heed your own advices, emperor" and with that, Raiden teleported and vanished. Kotal Khan quickly rushed to help Black. Now he had a pink foam coming out of his mouth.

" _He must have bitten his tongue_ " thought Kotal Khan " _damn you Raiden_ ".

Back in earthrealm, Raiden appeared, but in his original white garb, with no memory of what happened…

Hope you liked it. Please leave comments of what you thought of this episode. I'm open to improvement suggestions.


End file.
